7/26 - Subait Tuli/Bike Fixing

We left Subait after breakfast to join the Tinucoran Team in a neighboring village to do "Tuli" (circumcision).

This sandal was at least size 8 womens...the "...-pede" was at least about 1.25" in diameter, and about  8-9" long...

Since there were so many people who could do it, and I was just there to help when needed, I did not perform one myself, but I did assist with 2, as well help as much as possible. Though there were over 35 boys in line for Tuli, we only had enough supplies to serve 23 boys..all of which ranged between the ages of 4 and 13, with the ages of 6 and 8 as the average.

Belle, Lissa, Kayla, and I writing out the Post-Tuli instructions for the anti-biotics/painkillers.

An eager group of boys waiting for Tuli to start

Preparing the "Surgery Table"

Moms waiting and watching while we prepare

This picture is close to my heart...this little boy took SUCH good care of his little sister!! The children here truly delight in their siblings...especially the boys in the babies...

3 Tulis at once

The girls watching from behind the "wall"...girls seemed VERY interested in the whole process....remember, modesty here in the Bukid is very different from US standards.

Though the actual "art" of Tuli is practiced differently in the States than in the Philippines, and the age it is done at is most definitely different, there are obvious similarities... Some of you have wondered what it was like to be helping to perform surgery on young boys (not babies) in such a private part of their anatomy...and I have to answer that at the time, it is just such....anatomy. Just like working with pregnant women, it is the same for the boys... It is purely medical, and what we are concerned about is getting the job done right, while making sure that the patient is as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.

Our instrument cleaning assembly line

Instructing the mother about the "Post-partum Package"

With some boys, either their bodies utilized the Lidocaine more quickly, or the Tuli took a little longer, which for the ones I helped with (not assisting), it meant that they got to grip my hand as hard as they wanted to, while I massaged their little arms, trying to distract them, or they got songs sung to them and stories told to them. The hardest part for these little guys were the older boys outside the window teasing them for making faces or whatever. Sylvette and I took pleasure a few times to speak in their own language telling them to back away from the window and be quiet, reminding them of their "time", and after that, if any of them get too out of hand, sometimes I'd give them a withering glance which made them behave (remember, they highly respect white people) again...

Withdrawing the Lidocaine

Surgeon Bong directing Belle in how to do a nerve block.  (Nerve blocks have instant pain blockage and are more effective/longer lasting)

Assistant to Sylvie....

What an awesome teacher!!

At 12pm, the villagers provided us lunch..rice, beefloaf, pork, veggies, and....sprite...

We got another table, because we were running out of time, and we still had more to do...

And then, we moved to the other end of the table, so now we had 5 going at the same time.

Explaining to the patients that we had no more supplies to do any more boys...

Taking a well-deserved nap...

We were surprised and delighted when a man brought a bunch of Buko and dropped them on the table, only to realize maybe he should cut them on the floor, which he did.

The Pinoys enjoying the Buko....

Since we didn't get started until around 10:30am, we didn't actually leave Tinucoran until 4:30pm, which meant that we're going to be pushing it to get to Casiklan before night fall. Once across the river, we realized that there was going to be no way to get to Casiklan with Jordan's bike without getting it fixed first.

Sylvette at the river...normally, the river comes to about 5 feet from where she is standing...and as you can see, it is WAY out...

Where the man is standing usually has about 4-6 inches of water, and the water is way out from there.

We joked we could just drive across, though that wouldn't have been realistic for the whole thing...

A look back to the bank

Yep...this is the way they do this, and these things aren't very light...

Getting all situated

We were about a 3rd way across the river, when the oars didn't scrape the river bottom any more.

So, we went to the bike shop there in Tungao (the river village), where we spent almost 3 hours waiting while the man and his assistant took apart the engine and then pieced it back together. We found out that it wasn't as bad as we thought it may have been, but that the piece that broke this time :), made the gas and water combine, and caused problems like bad acceleration, eating up oil faster, and of course the dark exhaust and mephitic smell.

Bong's bike-Gina

Waiting and Watching...

Sleeping....

Fixing

While waiting, we went and ate dinner: BBQ chicken, rice, mangos, and orange drink. Then, we went back, watched them finish disassembling the engine and then piece it all back together again, held the flashlight for them (since it was completely dark now), and took a mini nap. It started raining soon after we got to Tungao, which for the river was a good thing, seeing that it had started drying up rapidly in the last 48 hours, but for us, it added some more challenges, as the roads to Casiklan are....NOT good.

The best kind of chicken....Barbecue Chicken!!! 

This cat tried to eat our food!!!!

This one is for you Oma!!

The rains subsided some as bike was almost finished being put back together, after filling the gas tanks, we started off to Casiklan. 5 minutes out of Tungao, the rain started getting a lot worse, so we took a second to rearrange packs, put on rain coats (for those who had them), and start going again. 15 minutes out, the rain was pounding so hard, that the driver's the couldn't see where they were going, and it was only getting wose, so we took a break in the next village's gym, where a basketball game was being played...

Immediately, Jordan and I were surrounded, and twice "accidentally" the ball mysteriously almost hit Jordan...(not like they meant anything by it, since a few of them weren't very good players yet, and so the ball often bounced our direction)... Once, the ball rolled out into the rain--and it was pouring REALLY bad out there...like, you go out, and within 3 seconds you're DRENCHED. They all kind of just stood there like "what do we do now??" Being the only one already pretty soaked (I didn't have a rain coat, just a long-sleeved shirt), I ran out into the rain and tossed the ball back to them....that was memorable...

While waiting the storm out for about 45 minutes, I got a good nap on the bleachers, with about 10+ 4-12 year old kids staring at me from where they'd gathered a few benches above :D--on the high benches, the wooden plats are only about 8-10" wide, with the lower ones being twice that. Sylvette 'glared' at me when I lay down on the higher one where we were sitting together, remembering what happened last time I fell asleep on a bench, so I laughed and went down to the next step, which was wider. Then, when she woke me up when the rain had subsided some, I realized that she was holding onto me when she woke me up, to make sure I didn't fall... (Last time, I slept on a bench, everything was fine, until my supervisor woke me up...then I fell the 2.5' to the ground, with him catching me....that story is on 7/8 --which needs still to be written--that day is a story about God's grace....) Oh well! :)

We decided to go back and spend the night at MJ (which, seeing the roads the next day, was completely Providential), and arrived there about 25 minutes later, wet and cold. After taking showers and laying out or clothes to dry, Renal (Bong's older brother) kindly lent us his room (actually, he didn't know he did, because he was sleeping in his office at the other end of the BOOST :D), and low and behold!! He had a thick spongy cushion on his board-of-a-bed!! Having slept on the floor for the last week (which was comfortable enough), it was like heaven...I didn't realize that I'd been missing out on so much!!

WHAT I LEARNED:
- Flexibility...there were quite a few times today, that we almost called off the Tuli in Casiklan...God's humor I think...testing me...seeing if I'd respond appropriately...I knew it, and laughed and thanked God for keeping to remind me that He loves me so dearly.
- Filipino rain is amazing!! Even with the wind, and the harshness of it, it is warm...and there's something about it...it's much better like this than at home with the cold, wet wind!!
- God is always there, and what a joy it was to be able to cry out to Him when we had bike troubles, praying for our supervisors, etc. . . Thank you Jesus!!

My Filipino texts for today:
How, then, can they call on them they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard...? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ~ Romans 10:14-15


For the Word of God is living and active...sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of hearts... ~ Hebrews 4:12


As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person. ~ Proverbs 27:19

** I just have to praise God for these texts...my friend did not know how much God used them in my day to day walk during this time.....

7/25 - Butuan City!!

Got up at 5:30am, took my shower and washed my clothes. The plan for today was to go to Butuan and run errands and connect with family before going to our next destination, which meant that we needed to leave the BOOST by 7:30am. Made tuna and crackers for breakfast and then brought it up to the Upper Staff House and ate with Jordan, while Bong and Sylvette took their showers and then joined us. After breakfast, I went back down, packed my knapsack, and then left with Jordan for the internet cafe, while Bong and Sylvette went to see her Lolo (grandpa), who ended up being out of town (he is a pastor).

Yes, Filipino Bachelors wash their own laundry!!

Renel and Weng busy at work

We spent an hour and a half at the cafe, skyping our families, checking emails, and I wrote a quick blog post too. My mic wasn't working for Skype, so every time I shared anything or answered questions, I did so through typing it in the text box below. Definitely memorable!! :)

Bong and Sylvette

Jordan and me

Us

Sylvette

Once Bong and Sylvette came, we went to 2 Thrift Stores to look for some pants for Sylvette, and I found a really cute peasant top for 100 pesos ($2.50).  From there, we went to a Medical Supply place to pick supplies for the Tinucoran Tuli tomorrow, G-Mall to pick up some stationery for Ate´ Bing, and then Weedols, where we had BBQ Chicken for lunch....that is definitely the best place to eat in Butuan in my opinion...

Gwapos 

Gwapas!!

Our excellent drivers

Afterwards, we went looking for a replacement hammock for the the one that got broken in Tinucoran. We finally found one for  400 pesos (orig. 450), and I got to carry it back to MJ, which was an adventure to say the least, as the hammock was woven out of some type of wood/bamboo, and then rolled for carrying, and so the wind went through it, but also wanted to pull it out of my grasp. :)

This bata gamay (little kid) was hanging out in the Tricee by himself....

From there, we went to the store to get food stuffs before going back to G-Mall to say goodbye to Eric and pray with him before he goes back to Davao, and then on to the U.S. Last stop before heading back to the BOOST was the bike shop to get the headlight on Bong's bike fixed.

Bike Shop

On the way home, we semi-raced (and safely) raced Bong and we won!! That was fun...Unfortunately, when we were almost home, the Jordan's bike (which had a ton of problems already, from a past user) went out of oil and something inside kind of broke. At the time, we thought it was a broken gasket, which could cause BIG problems if it affected the engine, but we needed to get to get across the river ASAP, and didn't have the 4-8 hrs. it would take to get it fixed; meaning (we found out later it wasn't so bad), that we were relying fully on the Lord to keep us safe.

We hurriedly took our semi-wet/dry laundry off the lines, packed our bags, and headed for Tinucoran to drop off the Tuli supplies and hammock (the Team was at a Bible Study), before heading to Subait (which is about a 25 minute drive from Tinucoran) to spend the night with the Team there.

Shall we gather at the river??

It was really good seeing the Subait Team again, catching up with them, and having dinner - Rice and Pancit. I got to sleep in one of the girl's hammocks, which was fun, especially since it was hung 8 feet in the air, and the only way to get on it, was to get on a 3-inch wide bannister, and then jump into it. At first, I wasn't good at it, but after a few times, I got really quick getting in (and out of) it.....

Amanda, Brittany, Shelby, Hailey, and Jordan

Bong, Sylvette, Bing (in hammock), Jemil

Hailey

Amanda

Bong (in the hammock I slept in)

Sylvette and Brittany

Hailey and Shelby braiding a special type of Filipino fiber to make necklaces.

Jemil reminds me SO much of my cousin Alex...her voice, temperament, and looks (though she has a Filipino flare Alex doesn't have)...funny, cuz when I went to Subait the first time, I actually wondered if it was Alex!! lol

You see, the Team has a Scourge in the inside bedroom....there a 5-6 lb. rat that lives under their bed, and sometimes scurries around the outward borders of the room. Sometimes, they find it in the bathroom in a corner--eyeing them...it usually wins, and now every time they go into it at night, they always check the corners with their flashlite. 

Before dinner, one of the girls discovered his 'stash pile' in the corner of the main indoor room under a table...there was food, missing necessities, and a bunch of other stuff... Then, during Team Time, he made his presence clear, by making a racket under the bed. Of course, the Supers and we were incredulous, and sure enough, after searching underneath the 'bed' (which was plywood over an empty area with a lot of junk underneath), we found that that was definitely his 'home'...but, he had escaped out the 'back door'. 

Team Time: Bing, Jordan, Jordan, Brittany, Hailey, Shelby, Amanda

That started a cycle during the rest of the night...during Team Time, we 'prayed' for the rat...things that it assuredly did NOT appreciate ;). Afterwards, some of the girls settled down for bed (in the 'rat room')-waiting for it to make a sound so they could alert Bong and Jordan, while a few more of us got in our hammocks, and the Pinoys sat on the table and talked (until past Midnight!). Every 5-10 minutes, the girls would shriek, and the guys would go running, and I'd jump down from my hammock with my camera in hand... (I really, really, really wanted to see that rat, which unfortunately never happened...)

So, 3rd time we went running, Bong and Jordan were lying on the floor, using sticks to search under the bed, hoping to scare it out, and I was sitting on the floor watching them, with camera in hand, and one other girl was semi-standing next to me, and most of the rest of them were huddled on the bed, when the rat--instead of running outside--ran up the wall and into the ceiling!!!! Funny thing was, only the girl next to me saw it. She screamed, which made me scream (first time since the beginning, lol), which made the rest of the girls scream, and the guys almost screamed just because of the chain reaction!! It was hilarious.....

So, now the rat is in the ceiling...which overlaps to the porch outside...where all our hammocks with their mosquito netting above are hanging..........  I wondered as I got back into mine, if I would see the rat watching me from above, but I never dreamed what happened would happen....the rat actually ran across the mosquito netting of one of the girl's hammocks!!! (Thankfully, the girl hadn't gotten back into it yet, but boy, did that make a scene!!)

We ended up putting rat poison in all Mr. Rat's hideouts, hoping that would take care of him in the long run..... That was definitely a highlight....

WHAT I LEARNED:
- God takes care of His own, no matter how scary the situation may be. If He allows something bad to happen, it's for our best in the long run.
- Prayer matters as does encouragement...everyone needs it
- A smile goes a long way
- Shanabalord means "Is he the one??" :)
- I STILL want to see a big rat!!!

Text for the day:  Always have a unique character like salt.......It's presence is not felt but it's absence makes things....tasteless!